Would a loving God send people to hell?
Is this the right question or at least does it ignore some of the other issues of justice, choice and righteousness?
To start with let's look at what the bible says about life after death
To start with let's look at what the bible says about life after death
No 1 - You are not just a body, you are made up of body, soul and spirit.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess 5.23
No 2 - You are dead in sin (no relationship with God) long before your body dies. That's the result of Adam's sin.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned - Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned - Romans 5:12
No 3 - You can have eternal life long before you leave this life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life - John 3.16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life - John 3.16
No 4 - You will never cease to exist, only your body will die temporarily. You will be raised to go to either heaven or the Lake of fire.
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt - Daniel 12:2
But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days - Daniel 12:13
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt - Daniel 12:2
But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days - Daniel 12:13
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire Revelation 20:13-15
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire Revelation 20:13-15
In regard to why a loving God would punish people, I recently heard one homeless man wisely tell another, “You wouldn’t want to live in a world where God didn’t punish injustices and just freely forgave sin—without any request for someone to choose the salvation He offers back. Imagine a place where injustice was never punished and people never recognized their sin and need for salvation. That would be terrible and painful.”
We all want justice to reign. For a good God to be truly good, injustice must be punished. This is why it makes complete sense that Jesus had to die. There must be a payment for the evil we inflict on the world and one another. Jesus’ death epitomizes God’s mercy and justice—and it all happened in one act.
Let me leave you with a couple of quotes that help as we consider good and evil, right and wrong and heaven and hell.
"Right is Right even if nobody does it. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong about it."—G.K. Chesterton
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
― C S Lewis, The Great Divorce
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
― C S Lewis, The Great Divorce
J B Phillips said "God is indeed all goodness and light but he will show no more compunction towards the evil things that we have allowed to grow in our hearts than a human surgeon would to a malignant growth'.
C. S. Lewis: "The Christian does not think that God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because he loves us."
Have a think about these things; they are too important to ignore
For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk
Have a think about these things; they are too important to ignore
For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk
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